Super Bowl LVII Adds 2 Million Viewers After Nielsen Restatement

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Fox News Channel is considering “multiple scenarios” for its primetime lineup after the ouster of Tucker Carlson, with the network declining to comment on a recent report that veteran Sean Hannity might move into its 8 p.m. lead-off hour. “No decision has been made on a new primetime line-up and there are multiple scenarios under consideration,” Fox News said in a statement Wednesday. Fox News issued the comment in the wake of The Drudge Report posting the notion that Hannity would move to 8, while Jesse Watters, who has fared well at 7 p.m., would move into the primetime schedule, along with Greg Gutfeld, who hosts a late-night-styled 11 p.m. program. Such a move would have significant ramifications that would not dovetail with recent Fox News strategy. Gutfeld’s 11 p.m. program has been a break-out success with the network’s viewers, and part of a move that has extended the outlet’s opinion block from 7 p.m. to midnight. Watters’ show at 7 has also been considered successful, and he might seem like a natural successor to Carlson. Watters is also more right-leaning than others on the roster and he got his start making appearances at 8 p.m. on Bill O’Reilly’s show. But people familiar with Fox News say executives have suggested that Watters was doing well in the 7 p.m. hour he began anchoring in 2022 and may not be Carlson’s successor.

TelevisaUnivision has officially entered the big game. For the first time ever, the network has secured the Spanish-language rights to the next Super Bowl, which is supposed to take place in Las Vegas on Feb. 11, 2024.The network will partner with NFL and CBS Sports on the event.

TelevisaUnivision has sealed a deal with CBS and the NFL to carry Spanish-language broadcasts of Super Bowl LVIII next February.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Spanish-TV giant TelevisaUnivsion wants to speak a different language than its English-speaking rivals when it comes to audience measurement. Under pressure from some media companies, Nielsen said in April that it was going to hold back a new product that sought to use “big data,” or audience information gleaned from set-top boxes and smart TVs, as a way to provide more granular information about viewers. Nielsen said the new data would not be accredited for mainstream use, but would be available “for additional measurement during this transition for clients seeking to transact on it.” TelevisaUnivision is going to try. “We all know that today’s TV measurement is inadequate for our multi-screen world, and as a consequence, U.S Hispanics have been undercounted,” says Donna Speciale, president of U.S. ad sales and marketing at the company. “In fact, our audience is 26% bigger than current measurement. How did we get that information? Nielsen just told us,” she tells Variety, using its traditional panel-based tabulation as well as its “big data” product. “This is huge and and a huge step for equity,” she adds, noting that TelevisaUnivision will ask all agencies and clients to base this year’s upfront ad deals on that measurement.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor TV’s Spanish-language Univision network will broadcast Super Bowl LVII next year, adding a new entrant to the usual coterie of English-language outlets that show the game. The deal was struck in partnership with the NFL and CBS Sports, which has the rights to show the game in English. The details were released as part of TelevisaUnivision’s annual “upfront” presentation, when U.S. networks try to sell the bulk of their commercial programming ahead of their next programming cycle. The company also disclosed that its ViX streaming outlet has more than 30 million monthly active users globally, with Pierluigi Gazzolo, the CEO of ViX noting that ” 80% of consumption on VIX is content no one else has and, importantly, 63% of users on ViX are incremental to the massive audience we serve on linear, which means greater cross-platform reach for all of you.”

50 Cent has admitted that his decision to hang upside down at last year’s Super Bowl was “a mistake”.The rapper made a surprise appearance at the Halftime Show, which saw him join Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J.

CNN’s town hall with Donald Trump beat the cable news competition, as expected, with an average of 3.12 million viewers, according to early Nielsen numbers.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor ABC News is betting on a new duo to keep shining daylight at “GMA3.” Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan will officially take over as co-anchors of the program, a news-and-lifestyle hour in the early afternoon that is seen as an extension of the Disney network’s flagship “Good Morning America.” They will join Dr. Jen Ashton. Meanwhile, Gio Benitez has been assigned to the team at the weekend version of “GMA.” Staffers at ABC News were informed of the decision Thursday morning by Kim Godwin, president of the division. “I know these programs – and our viewers at home – will be well-served by all of their collective talents,” said Godwin in a memo.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kaitlan Collins spent Wednesday night going toe to toe on live TV with a former President who refused to acknowledge her fact-checking of his many conspiracy theories and untruths. And that just may be a warm up. Collins, the CNN up-and-comer who has gone from White House correspondent to morning anchor all before turning 35, is widely expected to be given new anchoring duties at 9 p.m., according to two people familiar with the matter. The hour is one of the most competitive on the cable-news schedule and has served as a home to some of the most popular hosts in the format, including Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity and Chris Cuomo. CNN declined to make executives available for comment. Puck previously reported the looming deal, which could be unveiled in days to come — barring unforeseen changes, or a pivot in the strategic thinking of CNN CEO Chris Licht, one of these people cautioned.

Justin Hartley is about to get a prime berth on CBS: His new drama Tracker will debut after the network’s telecast of Super Bowl LVIII on February 11.

MONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAYFor the 15th year in a row, CBS has emerged as the most-watched network in primetime. This streak ties CBS with broadcast TV’s longest streak on record, which was also held by CBS from 1955 to 1970. According to the network, it has also been No.

CBS has announced what will be airing just after the 2024 Super Bowl!

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Justin Hartley is heading back to the Super Bowl. Hartley’s new CBS drama “Tracker” has landed the best lead-in imaginable for a series premiere: The show has landed the coveted post-Super Bowl slot next season, launching behind Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Hartley, of course, knows a thing or two about that slot. As one of the stars of NBC’s “This Is Us,” he watched a Crock Pot tear his TV family apart in that show’s very special “Super Bowl Sunday” episode, airing right after the big game in 2018. In premiering “Tracker” after the Super Bowl, CBS continues its return to the once-common practice of using the biggest night on TV to launch a new series. The last time CBS ran the game, in 2021, the network premiered “The Equalizer” behind Super Bowl LV. (It worked: “The Equalizer” is still on the air.) The time before that, in 2019, CBS used Super Bowl LIII to premiere “The World’s Best.” (It didn’t work: “The World’s Best” only lasted a season.)

Rita Ora had viewers in awe as she 'slayed' during an interval performance at the first semi-final of the of Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on BBC One. The pop superstar wowed with a selection of her greatest hits as she took to the stage in Liverpool, the host city in the UK on behalf of Ukraine.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Tucker Carlson is out at 8 p.m. on Fox News Channel, and the network hopes that a host of blue-chip advertisers that for years avoided his controversial hour will soon come back in. Since Carlson’s stunning exit last month, a timeslot that has been shunned by many Madison Avenue stalwarts seems as if it is being embraced. Procter & Gamble, one of the nation’s largest and most influential advertisers, has been running ads in “Fox News Tonight,” the network’s new 8 p.m. program, for female-skewing products like Venus razor blades by Gillette and Secret underarm deodorant. Also showing up in commercial breaks: Novo Nordisk’s trendy medication Ozempic, and Scotts Miracle-Gro.

McKinley Franklin editor The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla drew over 14 million viewers to the BBC on Saturday, the network has announced. “The BBC brought people across the UK together to share a once in a generation event with over 14 million watching the King being crowned live,” Charlotte Moore, chief content officer for the BBC, said in a statement. “I’m proud of the unique and special role the BBC plays in delivering audiences moments of such huge historical significance and the celebrations continue with our Coronation Concert tonight.” Peak viewership of the coronation on BBC One was 13.4 million, while the accessible signed version of the coronation on BBC Two peaked at 1.7 million. Average audiences across the two networks were 11.9 million and 1.4 million, respectively. For reference, the population of the United Kingdom is 67.3 million.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of the biggest stages an artist can book!

Skydance Sports, NFL Films and the Jerry Jones family are collaborating on what they call a “defining” docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys and the arc of Jones as the owner and builder of the franchise over 30-plus years.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Nielsen is pressing forward with its efforts to launch a new measurement technology that will count viewers no matter how they watch their favorite programs. The company said Wednesday that it would debut an “alpha” version of its Nielsen One technology that examines viewing of content across multiple devices. Disney, Interpublic Group media agency Mediahub, Sony Pictures Television, TelevisaUnivision, AMC Networks, and Horizon Media will take part in the initiative. Nielsen hopes to introduce Nielsen One in 2024. The current release, known as Nielsen One Content, “will enable users to analyze cross-screen viewing for the most comprehensive, comparable view of content performance,” Nielsen said. “It will provide an audience-based value to content to influence content development strategies, media planning, and ultimately content distribution and licensing deals.” Nielsen previously released a technology that helps do similar analysis of advertisements.

Rihanna‘s performance at this year’s Super Bowl game is officially the most-watched halftime show of all time.The news was confirmed by Rihanna’s label Roc Nation on Twitter tonight (May 2) with 121.017million views. Per an image attached to Roc Nation’s tweet, an initial report from Nielsen was incorrect and has since been corrected, now making Rihanna’s halftime show the “most-watched on record”..@Rihanna's Super Bowl LVII 2023 performance is the most watched halftime show of all time, with 121.017M views! https://t.co/iRY2u9XlOa #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/Ixgev7X7vp— Roc Nation (@RocNation) May 2, 2023Shortly after Rihanna’s performance in early February, it was announced that her performance was the second most-watched halftime show in history, with Katy Perry’s 2015 performance clinching the top spot.Perry’s halftime show was reported to have 121million views in February.